Addressing a press conference on Monday, 30 August, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the final draft of a proposed law on preventing forced religious conversions will be prepared soon, The Indian Express reported.
Khattar was attending a conference at the Chandigarh Press Club, marking 2,500 days of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state.
Responding to a media query, he stated,
“Law is enacted to create a deterrent for people when they start doing something wrong. Such incidents [of ‘love jihad’] have started taking place in a few places of Haryana."Manohar Lal Khattar, as per The Indian Express
Expounding on the need for this legislation, he claimed that several incidents involving forced religious conversion by way of coercion and allurements have come to light, and thus, a law is required to prevent an increase in these incidents.
Saying that a panel constituted for studying the provisions of such laws is presently doing its job, he added, "Very soon, a draft will be prepared. We shall see if we need to bring in an Ordinance or introduce it in the next Vidhan Sabha session. It will also be sent to the Legal Remembrancer who will examine it. It is in process. The law shall be enacted," The Indian Express quoted.
The Haryana CM had stirred controversy on Monday, after he condoned a violent remark made by Karnal’s Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ayush Sinha, who had issued instructions to the police to "crack open" the heads of protesting farmers.
Stating that Sinha's "choice of words" was incorrect, he went on to assert, "to maintain law and order, strictness had to be ensured."
Meanwhile, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij has been advocating for the introduction of an anti-conversion bill since last year.
Following the constitution of a committee to study the matter in November 2020, the state administration put forward a bill in the Vidhan Sabha in March 2021.
However, the bill struck some legal impediments after the office of the Legal Remembrancer (LR) raised some concerns.
A per the LR, the proposed legislation was violating the constitutional right to private liberty and privacy, and was also in contravention to the fundamental duties enshrined under Article 51 as well as the provisions of Special Marriage Act, The Indian Express reported.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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